In recent years, innovative practices in general education have begun to emphasize learning methods characterized by higher degrees of specificity. Course syllabi may be divided into dozens, even hundreds of detailed teaching/learning units. The influences fostering these efforts derive from several different sources. Personnel management planning sometimes attempts to spell out instructional responsibilities to teachers for the school year. Alternatively, efforts by academic designers have led to development of precise instructional sub routines such as programmed texts.
Though detailed teacher job assignments provide more careful exposition of performance expectations, there has been a universal failure to provide adequate instruments and methods for tracking the more elaborate performances expected. Alternatively, previous attempts to develop the technically advanced learning guidance and assessment systems such as programmed texts, have produced materials for individual student use but offer no system of teacher support and guidance in normal classroom circumstances.
The present method adapts and integrates features from these different genres to produce a unique multi part system of detailed management influence and oversight suited to conventional classroom and school settings.